Dionne Spooner Story Board

The Love/Hate

Emotions of Raising a 13 Year Old Daughter

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• Born July 23rd 1995

• 1st Born Child of Two

• One of the happiest days of my life

• One of the scariest days of my life


The Blessings God Gives Us……The Blessings God Gives Us……

God gives us beautiful babies. They have big God gives us beautiful babies. They have big eyes and tiny features. There is no doubt eyes and tiny features. There is no doubt they need you. You get that overwhelming they need you. You get that overwhelming need to care for and nurture this tiny need to care for and nurture this tiny creature God has blessed you with.creature God has blessed you with.

This was how I felt July 13This was how I felt July 13thth 1995. God gave me 1995. God gave me one of the most precious miracles I would one of the most precious miracles I would experience in my life.experience in my life.


The Adventure Begins

I could not have asked for a better baby.

She only got up one time during the night to feed for the 1st 2 weeks of her life.

After 2 weeks old she slept all the way through the night.


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The Adventure Continues

I was blessed enough to have my baby at work with me until she was 5 months old.

No one every really knew she was there, because she was so quite and was such an AWSOME

baby.I didn’t have to experience the anxiety of leaving

my new baby for 5 wonderful months. We were able to bond, making it a bond I thought

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The Terrible 2s

Once again I found myself blessed. For any of you that have been around children, you have heard horror stories of the terrible 2s.

Although my precious bundle of joy was becoming more and more independent,

she was far from terrible. She was happy and full of fun.


The Changing Child

We decided we wanted the best sheltered environment for our baby girl. Where she could also get a jump start on learning. We decided at 3 to put her in a private,

Christian based pre-school .What an emotional day that was. The

excitement of “going to school” riddled with the emotions of “will she be ok”.


Starting to Grow-Up

As my daughter began to get older (at about 6) several things started to become more and more

apparent. Like she was the ruler of the house. And more every year she started to figure this out. And started to use this against us. She started to

form quirky little habits. Like wearing only one certain brand and style of panties(that’s fine, until they don’t

make them anymore). Or not being able to wear socks because they had “strings” in them (meaning

seams). Had I only seen the writing on the wall.

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The Wonder YearsWe spend a ton of time with our children. My daughter has played

softball, baseball and has done competitive cheerleading. She has

stayed with the competitive cheering for 5 years now. She hates softball because that is a “girls” game and

loves baseball because she wants to show the boys how its “really” done.


Occasional Moments of JoyFor 5 years every time my daughter takes the stage to

perform her cheerleading routine I get teary eyed.

Every time she masters a new tumbling technique I get teary eyed.

More and more I have reasons to get teary eyed


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EmotionsWhen I mentioned tears I was not kidding.

I cry because she is getting older and turning into a young woman, although she is currently in the alien

phase.

I cry because I just want to smack that smart mouth that surfaces more and more everyday.

I want to cry because apparently I am soooo “dumb” but have managed to raise the ‘smartest’ person on earth.


Mother’s CurseI am sure we have all heard of the Mother’s Curse. Well

let me tell you the curse is NOT a myth. You will get paid back for all you have done to your parents 2 fold.

And if you are a female you better hold on, its even worse.

I did not read the fine print when I decided to start my family. Apparently the fine print states that

somewhere around your child’s 12th birthday they grow a brain and you lose yours. Apparently you will

not become smarter until around your child’s 30th birthday. So, I am not quite ½ way there.



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My PrayerEveryday I pray God gives me the strength to get through the next

several years with my teenage daughter.

I pray that I do not have to wait so long to get smart again.

I pray God protects her from all of the ugliness in the world, although she doesn’t see it because after all she is the smartest person ever.

I pray the bond I once thought was so close returns. Maybe that will happen when I get smarter again.

Self Improvement

Dionne Spooner Story Board